Guard-rail.



No. 831,553. PATENTED SEPT. 25, 1906. U. M. HIBBETS.

GUARD RAIL.

APPLICATION FILED JAN.29, 1906.

CHARLES H. HIBBETS, O F W'ASHBURN, TEXAS.

GUARDS-RAIL.

To rbZZ IUhOHL-ill ntay concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES M. Hrnnnrs, a citizen of the United States,residing at Washburn, in the county of Armstrong and State of Texas,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guard-Rails, ofwhich the following is a specification.

This invention relates to certain improvements in guard-rails, and isparticularly designed for use in connection with the improvements inswitches for which Letters Patent of the United States, No. 797,772,were issued to me August 22, 1905.

The patented invention comprehends a railway-switch mechanism embodyingmeans for preventing derailment of a train should the switch be left ina neutral or split position, such means including an incline over whichthe car-wheels are designed to travel from the split switch back to themain-line rails and also including in connection with said incline aguard-rail designed to form a bearing-surface for the oppositecar-wheels and having a diagonal portion converging in a direction fromthe switch-point to the opposite main-line rail, so as to direct the carwheels back to the main track and insure that they shall be properlypositioned on the main-track rails.

My present nvention contemplates particularly improvements in theconstruction of the said guard-rail designed to direct the car-wheelsback to the main-line rails and it consists of certain improvementshereinafter fully described, and particularly'pointed out in the apended claim.

For a lull description of the invention and the merits thereof and alsoto acquire a knowledge of the details of construction of the means foreffecting the result reference is to be had to the following descriptionand accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a plan view of arailway-switch embodying the patented improvements and the improvementsof the present invention. Fig.2 is a perspective view thereof. Figs. 3and 1 are cross-sectional views illustrating particularly, on a largerscale, Iny improved construction of guard-rail embodied in the presentinvention.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followin descriptionand indicated in all the views of the drawings by the same referencecharacters.

Specification of Letters Patent.

.tpplicatim filed January 29. 1906.

Patented Sept. 25, 1906.

Serial No. 298,516.

Referring to the drawings, the numeral 1 designates the main rails ofthe tracks, and 2 the side rails.

3 indicates the siding switch-point, and 4 the main-line switch-point.Contiguous to the butt-end of the main-line switch-point 4 the adjacentmain rail 1 is provided with an incline 5, designed to direct the wheelsof a train back onto the main-line track-rails should they be liable forderailment by entering the switch with the switch-point in the neutralpos tion, and to assist in this operation the side rail 2 where itconnects with the butt-end of the switch-point 3 has connected to it aguard-rail 6, which extends from the side rail 2 in a diagonal directiontoward the adjacent main-line rail 1 and draws the carwheels laterallywhen some of them have ridden over the incline 5, so that they will beproperly directed back upon the main-line rails 1 and derailment will beavoided. In general construction the above describes the patentedimprovements before referred to.

In the present embodiment of the invention the guard-rail 6 is providedwith a thick ened web 7, designed to fit snugly against the web of theadjacent main rail 1 throughout the length of the said guard-rail bothin the parallel portion of the latter and the diagonal portion thereof,so that snow and ice will be prevented from packing between the mainlinerail and the guard-rail. The inner surface 8 and lower oblique portion 8of the guard-rail are of such size and shape that they will accuratelyfit the web and baseflange of the mainline rail, and the thickness ofthe web 7 of the guard-rail is of course determined at the differentportions thereof by the desired distance between the head or tread ofthe main-line rail 1 and the head 9 of the guard-rail 6. As shownparticularly in Fig. 4, the upper surface 10 of the guardrail 7 issomewhat countersunk, so as to give passage-way for the flange of awheel where the ball of the rail is not thick enough to clear theflange. The head 9 of the guard-rail 6 is cut away at the sides adjacentthe main rail, as indicated at 11, so as to form a preferably flatportion, which is advantageous, in that the foot of a person is notlikely to be caught between it and the adjacent main rail.

By my improved construction of guardrail the liability of snow and icepacking between the guard-rail and the adjacent maintoo line rail isreduced to a minimum, and there solid piece and in the shape shown byFigs. :3

and 4 from the first joint back .of the heel v of the switc hpoints onthe main -line rail. While Figs. 3 and 4: indicate that the guardrailand maineline rail are formed separately, yet the integral constructionjust described is the preferred one, because there will be no noise orrattling when trains are passing over the rails at that point and therewill be no transverse bolts to become worn or broken. Otherwise the sameresult may be obtained y usi g h rd nary rail as ad fo rfiglllel use andby rolling th block to the exact shape to fill the space between therails. In some localities the guard-rail iconstructed as in my patentabove referred to will be the most useful and practical.

Havin thus described the invention, what is claime as new is Switchmechanism of the character described embodying an incline designed todirect the wheels of a train back on the main track, and a guard-railopposite the said incline and provided with a diagonal portion designedto draw the Wheels laterally so as to seat them upon the main-linerails, said guard-rail being provided with a thickened We thr ughout i lngth filling he s a between the outer side of Said web an the dja nt idef thoedia ont main-din ai In testimony wher o I ,affiX my igna ure inpresence of'two witnesses.

CHARLES M. HIBBETS. :[L. s.]

Witnesses:

G M. JAMES, G. Born.

